Reviews by Friends of dsunshine610

Katrena says "Paws -n- Claws Pet Brush Has Two Types of Bristles & Only $1" about Paws -n- Claws Pet Brush

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:35:38 GMT

Paws n Claws Pet Brush is a dog grooming brush with a brown wooden handle with two different types of bristles. One side has short black bristles while the other side has longer metal bristles with little balls on the end of each bristle. We tried both sides of the brush on our poodle mix, but only the shorter and softer black bristles work well for our poodle mix.

I've learned several things about grooming a dog after rescuing this dog from the local animal shelter:

Some dogs love to be brushed and will lie down forever while being brushed (ours is one of those)
Poodle mixes are not bad about shedding. My mother-in-law has a border collie and she probably looses more hair being brushed than our dog has on her skin.
Dogs may mistake this for a chew toy and chew the wooden end.
Babies may mistake this for a person's hairbrush or toothbrush.

This dog brush is distributed in Virginia but made in China. I prefer American made products, but sometimes they are hard to find and afford.

My Viewpoint:...

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Katrena says "Disney Princess 50 Piece Puzzle Comes in 2-Pack for $1.00" about Disney Princess 50 Piece Puzzle

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:21:34 GMT

Disney Princess 50-Piece Puzzle comes in a two-pack at our local Dollar Tree. That works well because you can get two fun puzzles for $1.00. I picked up this 2-pack of Disney Princess puzzles for my 5-year-old. She absolutely loves princesses and enjoys working puzzles, so I thought this would be right up her alley. Each puzzle, when put together, measures about 5" by 7".

What I Like about Disney Princess Puzzle (2 pack):

The boxes are very small and are handy for packing into something like a stocking or for taking on a trip.
The pictures are of some of my daughters' favorite princesses, like Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc.
The colors are fun and bright.
The puzzles aren't real hard to work--they have straight edges around the sides and lots of changes in colors and the pieces fit well together.
The pieces aren't warped like what happened last year when I bought some different puzzles that were similar but larger.

My Viewpoint:

This 2 pack of Disney Princess Puzzles that...

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Katrena says "Color Wonder Under the Sea Has Cool Coloring Activities!" about Crayola Color Wonder Under the Sea Activity Set

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:58:26 GMT

Crayola Color Wonder Under the Sea Activity Set is an interesting and cool set of activities.

Included in the Under the Sea Activity Set:

Figurines--this one has a fish and seahorse
Paint brush markers--these sort of work like paint brushes but don't color unless used on color wonder materials
Broad line markers--these are more like traditional markers but won't color unless used on color wonder materials
Coloring book with 36 pages

What I Like about Color Wonder Under the Sea:

My 8-year-old daughter received this as a Christmas gift and was absolutely thrilled and said it was the best gift ever (other than getting a dog....)
It is nice to have something that doesn't make a mess in case the younger kids grab these and try to decorate everything.
The figurines were cute and a fun twist to the Color Wonder collection

What I Don't Like about Color Wonder Under the Sea:

The colors of the markers were pretty limited, but we had some other markers from previous gifts that worked with this as...

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Katrena says "Mistle Totes Umbrella Opens Full Size but Closes Very Small" about Mistle Totes Umbrella

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:52:41 GMT

Mistle Totes Umbrellas are made by Totes around Christmas time. They are sold in a festive and cute box with jingle bells and a bow on top for a holiday-type theme, and my sister, CyndiA, bought this for me for Christmas this year. (I love to recycle things, so jingle bells are always a fun addition to a gift!) An umbrella is a nice and useful gift idea, and my sister gave me one this year for Christmas.

What I Like about Mistle Totes Umbrella:

It opens full size (which is helpful if you have three small kids that prefer not to get wet in the rain)
It's manual (which is helpful if you have kids that like to experiment with umbrellas)
It is easy to open and close and comes with a separate cover (nice for storage)
It folds into a very small size (handy for carrying in a pocketbook or storing in the car)
It has a wrist strap
Mine is aqua, which is a color I like
It has a lifetime warranty (I've had several Totes brand umbrellas and they do tend to work well and last a long time)

The main thing...

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Katrena says "The Day Before Christmas Talks about Memories of Loved One" about The Day Before Christmas

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:42:00 GMT

The Day Before Christmas [1992, Clarion Books, ISBN: 0-89919-866-X] by Eve Bunting with paintings by Beth Peck is a 32-page children's book about enjoying the holidays after the loss of a loved one.

The Story:

A grandfather is taking his granddaughter to see the Nutcracker, a play that he also took his daughter to see many years before. The granddaughter is seven years old, the same age that her mother was when Grandpa took her mom to see the same play. Unfortunately, the little girl's mother died four years ago. The little girl's dad warns his daughter that Grandpa "may be a little sad today," but Grandpa and his granddaughter enjoy their time together and make their own special memory.

This book is a bit nostalgic and interesting in that the illustrations are actually paintings. The Day Before Christmas seems to be set in a former time since the little girl is riding the train to meet her grandfather.

My Viewpoint:

I think The Day Before Christmas might be particularly well suited for...

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Katrena says "Lulu the Big Little Chick Wants to Grow Up and be on His Own" about Lulu the Big Little Chick

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:26:22 GMT

Lulu the Big Little Chick [2009, Bloomsbury, ISBN-13: 978-1-59990-343-9] is a 34-page children's picture book about growing up and leaving home...almost.

The Story:

Lulu is ready to leave home and set out on his own, so off he goes to make his own way. The other animals that he meets aren't so sure that Lulu is really ready for the big move of being on his own, including:

pigs
sheep
horse
cow
crow

Mama is sad to see Lulu go but lets the little chick take the journey despite such a small size. When Lulu decides that perhaps this newfound independence is a bit premature as danger looms near, what will happen next?

The illustrations are colorful and compliment the story nicely.

My Viewpoint:

I guess that all parents hope to teach their kids to be independent and perhaps all parents wish to protect those same kids. I think kids can relate to a little chick that wants to be on its own but also meets with lots of opposition and danger. The conclusion of Lulu the Big Little Chick is a feel good...

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Katrena says "Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Ancient Egypt Has Too Much Detail" about Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Ancient Egypt

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:12:51 GMT

Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Ancient Egypt [2001, Scholastic Press, ISBN: 0-590-44680-0] by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen is a 42-page children's book about Egypt. This book takes the kids on a trip to learn about Egypt as they parachute down from their plane. It is very detailed for a young kid's book with lots of extra dialogue and tidbits of facts about Egypt as it was many years ago.

Here are a few examples from the book:

Egyptian art was interesting as the head, hips, legs, and feet were drawn from the side but the eyes, shoulders, and chest were drawn from the front. This perhaps provided the best view of each part.
Many Egyptians had damaged teeth because their bread sometimes had sand in it.
More than two million stone blocks comprise the Great Pyramid.
The Sphinx symbolized many things: the head stood for leadership, the body for power.
Pharoah's body was made into a mummy. One part of doing this was to remove and throw away the brain.

OK--I liked most of the details...

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Katrena says "Cool Concept Reading the Turn-Around Upside-Down Alphabet Book" about Lisa Campbell Ernst - The Turn around Upside down Alphabet Book

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:56:35 GMT

The Turn-Around Upside-Down Alphabet Book [2009, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, ISBN: 0-689-85685-7] by Lisa Campbell Ernst is a 32-page children's ABC book. Each letter of the alphabet is printed and readers turn the book around to read about each letter. It's interesting to read because each direction that the reader turns the book brings about another interesting way to see the letters.

Here are just a few fun examples:

C can make an angel's halo
K looks like a martian's antennae
N looks like an origami snake
Q becomes a pendulum on a clock
U can be a droopy mustach and then a hot dog on a bun

"Alphabet Improv" at the end speaks a little bit about perspective and imagination. I think children can see lots of everyday objects in different ways, but it seems like somewhere along the way that imagination is often challenged and discouraged.

My Viewpoint:

The Turn-Around Upside-Down Alphabet Book is lots of fun to read as you turn the book while reading. The illustrations are...

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Katrena says "That Pesky Rat is a Funny Story of a Rat with an Identity Crisis" about That Pesky Rat

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:04:24 GMT

That Pesky Rat [2002, Candlewick Press, ISBN: 0-7636-1873-X] by Lauren Child is a 32-page children's book that features a rat. Actually everyone around him just calls him that Pesky Rat, and he doesn't like that one bit. And he's also a bit frustrated about living in trash can #3 that keeps getting emptied after he works to make it homey.

He begins to long for the life of other animals, but then re-thinks each idea:

The Chinchilla has a fashionable life but Pesky Rat hates baths.
The Siamese Cat does whatever he likes but Pesky Rat hates to be bored.
The Lop-Eared Rabbit has an exciting life in the circus, but it might be a bit nerve-wracking for Pesky Rat.
The Scottie Dog is loved by his owner but has to wear embarrassing clothes.

Finally, Pesky Rat has an idea. He'll write and post an advertisement in Mrs. Trill's pet shop. Mr. Fortesque is looking for a brown cat--will Pesky Rat do?

My Viewpoint:

That Pesky Rat is a funny story with a surprise ending. The story flows well and the pictures...

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Katrena says "There Was an Old Monster Web Site Makes Book Even More Fun" about There Was an Old Monster Scholastic Web Site

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:26:00 GMT

The Scholastic web site has a page especially for readers of There Was an Old Monster! by Rebecca Emberly. Here is what the free web site offers:

range of ages of kids that might like this book
lexile framework
grade level equivalent, which is helpful especially to teachers
suggested ages for the book
genre and subject of the book
synopsis of the book

This web site also offers the ability to see some sample pages from the book and to download the file for pc and mac users.

The best part of this web site features the words of the story There Was an Old Monster! that are put to rhythm by Adrian Emberly, the author's daughter. She does a good job with this rhyme and it flows rather quickly.

My Viewpoint:

Just cut and paste the web site address at the heading of this review to find Scholastic's There Was an Old Monster! web site. People who have a copy of the book can have fun listening to the rhythm while turning the pages. It's fun and challenging and a fun twist on a new version similar...

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Katrena says "There Was an Old Monster! is Like Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" about There Was an Old Monster!

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:40:56 GMT

There Was an Old Monster! [2009, Orchard Books, ISBN: 0-545-10145-X] by Rebecca Emberley and illustrated by Ed Emberley and Adrian Emberley is a 32-page children's picture book that is an interesting twist to the story of the old lady who swallowed a fly.

The Story:

An old monster eats and tick and then begins to eat other things to try to get each of the previous other animals. Here are the animals that the hungry monster ate:

tick
ants
lizard
bat
jackal
bear
lion

This story flows nicely from one page to the next and utilizes repetition as each animal is repeated from the previous pages as the story develops. A few extra words are added that can make for a fun rhythm.

This book is fun because there's a web site that takes the words of the story and adds a rhythm. This would be fun for kids at home or in a group setting.

My Viewpoint:

There Was an Old Monster! takes an old story and puts a new twist to it. The colorful pages don't look scary like one might think a monster would look and...

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Katrena says "How Do You Wokka - Wokka? Encourages Kids With Different Styles" about How Do You Wokka - Wokka?

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:22:11 GMT

How Do You Wokka - Wokka? [2009, Candlewick Press, ISBN: 978-0-7636-3228-1] by Elizabeth Bluemle and illustrated by Randy Cecil is a 26-page children's book about children with lots of different styles. The children in the book show how they can dance and play in lots of different styles when asked how they "wokka - wokka", like:

a flamingo
a mariachi with maracas
a clock
a fish
knocking on a door

The illustrations are full of action as the kids show their own version of a wokka-wokka, and the story flows well from page to page. This is just a funny and silly book that may encourage kids to be creative and try something new.

My Viewpoint:

How Do You Wokka - Wokka? is colorful and fun as children figure out that each has his own style. It incorporates children of different colors and encourages the kids to look around them for inspiration. This book was cute and fun in a wacky or wokka-wokka sort of way.

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Katrena says "She Did It! Shows Four Sisters Who Blame Each Other for Messes" about She Did It!

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:03:08 GMT

She Did It! [2002, Melanie Kroupa Books, ISBN: 0-374-36776-0] by Jennifer A. Ericsson and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott is a 32-page children's picture book that looks at taking responsibility, sort of.

The Story:

Four sisters tend to make messes all over the house. When Mom enters the area, she asks who made the mess and each sister decides to tell on another one as they reply "She did it!" As the story progresses, the mom gets even more frustrated until she finally sends them all to their room. When she goes to the room after time is up, she's surprised by what she finds amd asks who did it...

Here are some examples of the messes in the book:

Pillow fight
Bathroom mess
Kitchen mess
Mud on clean clothes on the line
Rude behavior at a picnic
Fighting inside while the mom is working in the yard

The illustrations fit nicely with the story and reflect the humor of the story in a colorful and fun way. Overall, I have mixed feelings about this story. It does seem pretty realistic and...

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Katrena says "You Won't Like This Present as Much as I Do! is Funny and Cute" about You Won't Like This Present as Much as I Do!

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:41:03 GMT

You Won't Like This Present as Much as I Do! [2009, Penguin Young Readers Group, Grosset & Dunlap, ISBN: 978-0-448-45087-2] by Lauren Child is a 32-page picture book about giving gifts.

The Story:

Lola has been given money to buy a birthday gift for Lotta, her best friend. She decides to look in the toy store for the best book ever. She finds a doctor's kit and realizes that it is perfect...for her. Lotta could not possibly like it the way she would, but she only has money for one gift.

Charlie, the sensible older brother finally convinces Lola that Lotta would probably like that gift much more than a cheap bouncy ball that Lola suggested so that she could give herself the doctor's kit. They get it wrapped and ready for the party, but then Lola's imaginary friend starts asking about the gift and Lola decides that he really needs to get a chance to see it and maybe play with it just a little.

It's back to wrapping again after a few stern words from Charlie. Will Lola actually get the gift...

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Katrena says "Corduroy's Day Offers Fun Story of Ordinary Daily Activities" about Don Freeman and Lisa McCue - Corduroy's Day: A Counting Book

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:42:49 GMT

Corduroy's Day: A Counting Book [2005, Penguin Young Readers Group] by Don Freeman and illustrated by Lisa McCue is a 14 page children's board book that tells the story of a bear named Corduroy as he does many daily activities, such as:

Getting up and out of bed (something my kids tend to find challenging in the mornings)
Eating breakfast (my youngest loves to tell me Corduroy's favorite foods and points to the pictures)
Beginning to play
Feeding some ducklings (my 2-year-old loves the duck that has only its tail sticking out of the water and laughs and laughs every time she sees that page)
Has a picnic, making sure to bring enough cupcakes for everyone
Takes a bath

This board book is very simple and short and well-suited to small children. The pictures are very colorful and compliment the story nicely. The counting is incorporated throughout the story and starts at one moving progressively up as the story progresses.

My Viewpoint:

My youngest daughter (age 2) really likes Corduroy's Day:...

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Katrena says "Ollie's Friends Want to Play But He's Not Coming Out of His Egg!" about Ollie

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:31:47 GMT

Ollie [2003, Houghton Mifflin Company, ISBN: 0-618-33928-0] by Olivier Dunrea is a very small hardcover children's book with 32 pages. The book is actually about the size of my hand, but the story is cute and fun with engaging pictures. Each page contains a very short sentence with quotes on some pages.

The Story:

Gossie and Gertie are excitedly waiting for Ollie to come out and play. But he's not budging from the safety of his egg. However, Ollie finds all sorts of interesting ways to play while in the egg, such as:

Rolling and standing on his head
Sitting under sheep
Other humorous activities

Will Ollie ever come out? What will he do when his friends finally give up and tell him not to come out?

My Viewpoint:

Ollie is a cute little book with a fun story. My kids enjoyed looking at the silly pictures of Ollie playing while in the egg. I've used a bit of reverse psychology at times with my kids, so they could easily relate to Ollie's response at the end.

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Katrena says "Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? Really Engaged My 2-year-old" about Eric Carle - Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:17:32 GMT

Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? [2000, HarpersCollins, ISBN: 0-06-028768-3] by Eric Carle is a 26-page children's book about how different animals have mothers. It is very simple and asks if various animals have a mother with the answer on the next page. The illustrations are distinctively in Eric Carle style and compliment the story nicely.

Here are the animals in the story:

Kangaroo
Lion
Giraffe
Penguin
Swan
Fox
Dolphin
Sheep
Bear
Elephant
Monkey

This book also gives some interesting information at the back, invluding the name of the baby, mom, dad, and group for each animal from the story.

My Viewpoint:

My 2-year-old really got into Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? She answered "YES!" to each question and was thrilled that she was right each time. I'd recommend this for very young kids as it can be quite engaging. The information at the back of the book was very educational and my older girls enjoyed learning a little more about the animals. I'm a fan of Eric Carle books, and...

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Katrena says "Piglet and Granny is a Cute Book about Waiting and a Cool Granny" about Piglet and Granny

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:56:51 GMT

Piglet and Granny [2009, Abrams Books for Young Readers, ISBN: 978-0-8109-4063-5] by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Stephen Michael King is a 32-page children's picture book about a cool Granny and a little pig who must wait for Granny's visit. While waiting, the little pig finds lots of things to do, such as:

Balance on a wall
Chase butterflies
Doing somersaults
Playing hide and seek

Will Granny ever come? What's taking her so long? The little pig finally gets a glimpse of beloved Granny, who has a twinkle in her eye and says that it took so long because she was making a surprise! Whatever could the surprise be? Will Granny have time to play?

I like the illustrations in this book. My kids loved looking at the colorful and cute pictures and thought Granny was pretty cool.

My Viewpoint:

Piglet and Granny takes a fun look at how hard waiting can be and how much fun a Granny can be too. Many children's books make the grandparents seem awfully old and sedentary. That's ok too, but I hope...

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Katrena says "Sylvia Jean, Drama Queen is Fun Tale about Pig Who Dresses Up" about Lisa Campbell Ernst - Sylvia Jean, Drama Queen

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:42:01 GMT

Sylvia Jean, Drama Queen [2005, Dutton, ISBN: 0-525-46962-1] by Lisa Campbell Ernst is a 32-page children's picture book that looks at a young pig who always dresses up. Any occasion is a dress-up occasion for Sylvia Jean. Everywhere she goes, Sylvia Jean is known for her wild costumes. Anyone who meets Sylvia Jean soon discovers that she wears a different costume each day and begins to act the part that matches what she is wearing.

Then Sylvia Jean hears about a costume party that is coming up and sponsered by Ace's Costume Shop. The only problem is that Sylvia Jean has worn every costume that she can imagine. Everyone is looking to her to come up with the best costume ever, so Sylvia Jean heads to the library in search of the best costume, while wearing a Sherlock Holmes outfit, of course. Sylvia Jean finally hides out in her room and tries to brainstorm with a little more drama.

Will she be able to come up with something original? Will she be able to find a costume that is so good that...

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Katrena says "Ten in the Den is Fun Twist to Ten in the Bed" about John Butler - Ten In The Den

Katrena — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:26:41 GMT

Ten in the Den [2005, Peachtree, ISBN: 1-56145-344-7] by John Butler is a 23-page children's picture book that is a fun twist to "There Were Ten in the Bed." The story begins with ten animals all nestled in their den, but mouse has then all to roll over and as they do so, the one closest to the opening of the den tumbles out.

The book incorporates lots of vocabulary, especially considering that it has only about one sentence per page. The illustrations compliment the story nicely and my kids loved to see the various animals and their expressions as they ended up in a heap outside.

Here are the animals that were in the den:

Rabbit
Mole
Beaver
Badger
Porcupine
Raccoon
Fox
Squirrel
Bear
Mouse

The story builds to the end when Mouse does something a bit unexpected. Readers may want to try singing this one!

Here are some other books written and illustrated by John Butler:

While You Were Sleeping
Hush, Little Ones
If You See a Kitten

My Viewpoint:

Ten in the Den is a beautifully illustrated and...

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